Pour the rice into a bowl; cover with cold water. Swish the rice around gently with your hand; drain and repeat until the water is clear. Rinsing washes off loose starch, making the rice less sticky. Strain the rice thoroughly to get rid of the excess water.

Bring 5½ cups water to a boil, covered, in a 5-quart nonstick pot over high heat. Pour in the rice, salt, oil and butter; stir, bring the water back to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low. Cook, uncovered, for about 15 to 18 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed and tiny small holes develop on the surface of the rice. Do not stir the rice at this stage, as the rice grains are fragile and can break easily.

Reduce heat to low. Place a clean dishtowel or 2 layers of paper towel over the pot, folding the corners to keep away from the heat source. Cover the pot firmly with a lid; cook for 40 to 50 minutes. The dishtowel is used to keep the steam from escaping and to absorb the water that condenses on the inside of the lid, preventing it from falling back into the pot. This results in drier and fluffier rice.

Remove the pot from the heat and let the rice rest, undisturbed with the lid on, for at least 5 minutes. This results in a uniform texture, with the bottom layers as fluffy as the top, and also helps to free the crust from the bottom of the pan.

Serve the rice either by placing it on a serving platter or unmolding it. To plate the rice, gently scoop it out onto a serving platter with a wide spatula, mounding it into the shape of a pyramid. Loosen the tadigh (crispy crust) from the bottom of the pan; lay them over the rice or arrange them on a separate plate. If the tadigh is hard to remove, lower the bottom of the pot into a sink of cold water for few minutes to help release the crust.

To unmold the rice, place a round serving platter upside down on top of the pot. Using pot holders firmly grab the serving platter and the pot flipping them over together, as you would invert a cake pan. This will keep the tadigh intact.

Perfectly cooked rice has distinct and tender grains, not mushy, and is light and fluffy. The water to rice ratio can be altered to obtain the required rice texture. If the rice is overcooked (mushy), use less water next time; if undercooked (hard), use more water.

Kateh (Steamed Rice)

Pour the rice into a bowl; cover with cold water. Swish the rice around gently with your hand.

Drain and repeat until the water is clear.

Strain the rice thoroughly as the excess water can make the rice mushy.

Bring 5½ cups water to a boil, covered, in a 5-quart nonstick pot over high heat.

Pour in the rice, salt, oil and butter; stir, bring the water back to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low.

Cook, uncovered, for about 15 to 18 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed and tiny small holes develop on the surface of the rice.

Reduce heat to low. Place a clean dishtowel or 2 layers of paper towel over the pot. Cover the pot firmly with a lid; cook for 50 minutes.